This invention relates to lighting fixtures of the type adapted to be mounted on a ceiling by attachment to an outlet box in the ceiling. This type of fixture is sometimes referred to in the trade as a flush-mounted ceiling fixture.
Prior art lighting fixtures of this type generally comprise a fixture pan having a light socket secured to the bottom thereof, and a crossbar attached, as by screws, horizontally across the bottom of the outlet box. The pan is fastened to the crossbar by a screw (or screws) extending up through the pan and threaded through the bar, with the upper end of the screw projecting up into the outlet box. This arrangement has presented certain problems, however, inasmuch as the screw conducts heat generated by the light source up into the outlet box, resulting in unacceptably high temperatures in the outlet box, and presenting a fire hazard. The ceiling may also become overheated.